Q: Adding miles, beginner

I have been running about 4 days a week for the last 3 months and have worked up to an average of 15 miles per week over the last month. Last week, I ran 5 days for a total of 21 miles (5,3,4,3,6) I am generally doing 2 hard runs and 3 easy runs per week.

Now, I need advice on how to continue. I looked at Galloway's plan but he advises even dropping to 3 days per week on recovery weeks. I want to eventually progress to 6 days a week. Can anyone recommend a plan for safely increasing mileage that would be helpful? I am not looking to run a marathon, rather to increasing my fitness.

You can achieve all the aerobic fitness your body can handle off a five-day run week--if you believe in it.

M,T,W,T,F,S,S --- rest, run, run a little longer, run, rest, run longer, run easy --- repeat. Somewhere around the thirty minute mark of aerobic running you reach as much exercise as the bod' needs. After that you are doing more than just health running. You might give some thought to how much time (or miles) you have in mind as a weekly goal--or even with no marathon in mind, some other bit of mischief (I have used a five-day run week for distances up to 100 km, some successful efforts, some not so much). If the six-day thing is a needful thing, just add another short day--mix up the effort/pace, do some playing with running while you experiment.

I have been running about 4 days a week for the last 3 months and have worked up to an average of 15 miles per week over the last month. Last week, I ran 5 days for a total of 21 miles (5,3,4,3,6)

Whatever you've been doing to work up to 15 a week just keep doing. I run over 60 a week, and I got there with no guide (other than listening to my body). People will say don't go over 10% increase a week, but w/e... going to 5 days sounds fine. You just may want to back off on some of the hard runs a bit until your body gets acclimated to the additional stress. Rinse and repeat.

Thanks for the advice. I guess that I am just worried about overdoing it. As someone who started only 6 months ago at age 48 with 30 seconds jog, 1 min walk, I am always concerned that I am pushing a little too hard. However, one thing I love is the Sunday easy run. I just relax, slow the pace a little and lose track of time.

I wouldn't pigeon hole yourself into a formula. Listen to your body and gradually add more days / miles and every 4-6 week take a cut back week. Be careful not to allow the length of your long run account for too great a % of your weekly mileage.

That's how you should be doing all of your runs at only 6 months in, imo, especially since you have no aspirations to race.

I would like to but weekday stress, hilly courses, high elevations (Denver), the desert heat (Phoenix) and sometimes only being able to run a lunch time (high noon) make most non weekend runs challenging.

Daniel's white plan brought me to where I am right now. But the red plan, even at the beginning, has two days of threshold runs (3 X 1 mile) and (6 X 1 km) something that is beyond my current capabilities.

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